Late-Night Reading

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time laying on the floor in NC's nursery while she is sleeping because every time I walk out of the door she wakes up crying.  While this is completely unsustainable and pretty damn annoying most of the time, I have been utilizing the time catching up on some worthwhile reading.

Readability is an app that you can install on your devices (desktop included) to help corral all of those important articles and think pieces that you know you want to read, but just haven't found the time to do so yet.  When I'm nursing NC or trying to get her to go to sleep or stay asleep, my cell phone pretty much stays glued to my hand.  Inevitably I end up finding a million things that I find immensely interesting and really want to read, so Readability is an awesome way to keep tabs on them all.

Here are a few of my recent favorites:

"Benjamin Britten's 'Moonrise Kingdom'", The New Yorker.  I am a classically trained pianist by trade and a passionate advocate for making classical music more accessible to the masses.  I love that Anderson's use of Britten's "Noye's Fludde" is so prominent in the film, and not merely a backing track.

"Pope Francis, The People's Pope", TIME.  I really enjoyed reading, what is to most of us non-catholics, this introduction to their new pope.  I find the global appeal and commercial interest of this pope, regardless or religious preference, really fascinating.

"The Welfare Queen", Slate.  I barreled through this exposé on notorious welfare fraud Linda Taylor, totally enthralled with her unbelievable drive to use the system to her advantage.

"Breastfeeding: Good for babies, the environment, and justice, too", Grist.  Hot on the heels of the completely unwarranted hoopla that surrounded Karlesha Thurman's act of normal parenting at her college graduation, a great commentary on how our society does very little to help our mothers be successful in breastfeeding.  I like that it also gives us a few different reasons to support the 'breast is best' ideal that we often overlook, including the impact on the environment and social justice movements.

 
And if you're interested, I tend to find the best pieces of journalism on Longform, a website that continually updates it's list of worthwhile, slightly longer than your average FB-linked article, pieces of writing from around the web.

And if you'd like to see more of what I'm reading, you can follow me on Readability and see more of my recommendations.

Happy reading!
--mel

Father's Day DIY

I have to say, this year, my Mr. hit the jackpot with his Father's Day gifts.  

First, he got a spot in an "Artificial Rock Climbing Anchors" class with REI.  This was a sort of 'olive branch' if you will, and he knew it.  In my attempt to be the bigger person, I think I still managed to lay it on a little too thick, so I decided the Mr. also needed a less-heavy more-fun Father's Day gift to kind of take the edge off.

(Note: if you have no idea what I'm talking about here, that's okay.  Just keep reading because the important part is coming up.)

So, I decided to go the DIY route.  I feel like Father's Day kind of always warrants some sort of DIY--a popsicle stick bookmark, a finger-painted coffee mug, a scribbled portrait of dad dressed up as a superhero.  Of course, this year, NC is barely old enough to hold a crayon so I had to take the reins.

I was inspired by this project on Jordan's blog because it was fast, easy, cheap, and way more original than the typical "painted handprint and poem".

Overall, I'd say this tutorial was pretty straightforward, but I found myself having to make a few extra tweaks that ensured success.

Here's what I did: